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Things Can Only Get Worse?: Twenty Confusing Years in the Life of a Labour Supporter
From the giddy heights of New Labour's landslide victory in 1997 to the shock result of the 2017 snap election, these are the frank and funny memoirs of one bewildered Labour activist who tried to carry on as usual long after politics had stopped making sense.
With a literary flair that has been compared to Donald Trump's tweets, John O'Farrell attempts to explain the alarming rise of populist politics, Labour's twenty-year identity crisis, and why you should never tell your mother you are doing a radio phone-in, unless you want her ringing up to tell everyone she agrees with you. On everything.
Along the way, John stood for parliament against Theresa May but failed to step into her shoes; he took his campaigning skills to America (but still Obama got in); and he was dubbed 'the sickest man in politics' by the Daily Mail when in truth he's only the second or third.
The long-awaited sequel to the best-selling Things Can Only Get Better is for everyone who could use a good laugh after Brexit, Trump and learning you were governed by the DUP. A twenty-year journey from hope to despair and back again, packed with political confessions even more outrageous than running through fields of wheat.
With a literary flair that has been compared to Donald Trump's tweets, John O'Farrell attempts to explain the alarming rise of populist politics, Labour's twenty-year identity crisis, and why you should never tell your mother you are doing a radio phone-in, unless you want her ringing up to tell everyone she agrees with you. On everything.
Along the way, John stood for parliament against Theresa May but failed to step into her shoes; he took his campaigning skills to America (but still Obama got in); and he was dubbed 'the sickest man in politics' by the Daily Mail when in truth he's only the second or third.
The long-awaited sequel to the best-selling Things Can Only Get Better is for everyone who could use a good laugh after Brexit, Trump and learning you were governed by the DUP. A twenty-year journey from hope to despair and back again, packed with political confessions even more outrageous than running through fields of wheat.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 14, 2017
About the author
John O'Farrell
42 books182 followersJohn O'Farrell is the author of four novels: The Man Who Forgot His Wife, May Contain Nuts, This Is Your Life and The Best a Man Can Get. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages and have been adapted for radio and television. He has also written two best-selling history books: An Utterly Impartial History of Britain and An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain, as well as a political memoir, Things Can Only Get Better and three collections of his column in The Guardian. A former comedy scriptwriter for such productions as Spitting Image, Room 101, Murder Most Horrid and Chicken Run, he is founder of the satirical website NewsBiscuit and can occasionally be spotted on such TV programmes as Grumpy Old Men, Question Time and Have I Got News for You.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
September 9, 2017
John O'Farrell's hugely successful memoir of supporting the Labour Party through 18 years of Tory rule, Things Can Only Get Better, was published just after Tony Blair came to power.
Now, in 2018, we've had eight years of the Tories, the British public have inexplicably voted to send their own economy nosediving into the black hole by leaving the European Union, America has elected a sociopathic Cheesy Wotsit with the mind of a Nazi toddler and the Labour Party is being led by a Marxist jam-maker who looks like a sociology lecturer. Clearly it's time for a sequel.
Things Can Only Get Worse? picks up where its predecessor ended, taking us through the Iraq War and Blair's departure, the media's savaging of Gordon Brown, the Cameron-Clegg coalition, Milifandom and of course, the car-crash that was the EU Referendum. But although punctuated by big events, it's a personal and honest account of O'Farrell's own activism which also covers his children growing up, his parents ageing and - let's not forget - the general elections he fought as a candidate (in one of which he was beaten by Theresa May, a woman he felt would have been best suited to a role as "headmistress of a small independent girls' school in Surrey").
Perhaps most interesting of all are O'Farrell's musings on how, during the same period, he successfully campaigned for a new secondary school to be built in his home borough and became Chair of the Board of Governors, an experience which has many a parallel to the wider political climate. When is it OK to compromise? When can you admit that things are not quite panning out to be the socialist utopia you'd been led to expect? And latterly, if you dare to suggest that winning power might be, you know, quite handy for actually changing anything for the better, does this - as some in the Labour Party would currently have us believe - automatically make you Red Tory bourgeois Blairite scum?
This book is one of the funniest I've read in a very long time, so much so that my other half kept asking me what I was chuckling at as I was reading it. O'Farrell's observations not only of major political events but also of the small-scale minutiae of political campaigning and activism are extremely witty and insightful. However, Things Can Only Get Worse? is a thoughtful and perceptive read too, and genuinely moving at times. O'Farrell clearly cares very deeply about particular issues and this really shines through.
John O'Farrell is a staunch Remainer whose Labour MP is Kate Hoey - you may remember her from such absolute shit-shows as the painfully embarrassing Thames Brexit flotilla, in which she cuddled up to Nigel Farage at the helm of a boat if they were about to stage some sort of fascist pound-shop remake of Titanic. This means that in the last general election, he was faced for the first time in his life with a genuine voting dilemma. Does he tear up his Labour Party membership card and end a political relationship almost akin to a long marriage? I'll leave you to find out for yourself - but you'll no doubt have seen the question mark at the end of the title. While this book deals with Labour's fall from power, its horribly divisive leadership battle and the twin catastrophes of Trump and Brexit it still has at its heart a satisfying glimmer of hope.
Things Can Only Get Worse? is published on 14 September and if you have any kind of interest in British politics and a sense of humour, I highly recommend you read it.
Now, in 2018, we've had eight years of the Tories, the British public have inexplicably voted to send their own economy nosediving into the black hole by leaving the European Union, America has elected a sociopathic Cheesy Wotsit with the mind of a Nazi toddler and the Labour Party is being led by a Marxist jam-maker who looks like a sociology lecturer. Clearly it's time for a sequel.
Things Can Only Get Worse? picks up where its predecessor ended, taking us through the Iraq War and Blair's departure, the media's savaging of Gordon Brown, the Cameron-Clegg coalition, Milifandom and of course, the car-crash that was the EU Referendum. But although punctuated by big events, it's a personal and honest account of O'Farrell's own activism which also covers his children growing up, his parents ageing and - let's not forget - the general elections he fought as a candidate (in one of which he was beaten by Theresa May, a woman he felt would have been best suited to a role as "headmistress of a small independent girls' school in Surrey").
Perhaps most interesting of all are O'Farrell's musings on how, during the same period, he successfully campaigned for a new secondary school to be built in his home borough and became Chair of the Board of Governors, an experience which has many a parallel to the wider political climate. When is it OK to compromise? When can you admit that things are not quite panning out to be the socialist utopia you'd been led to expect? And latterly, if you dare to suggest that winning power might be, you know, quite handy for actually changing anything for the better, does this - as some in the Labour Party would currently have us believe - automatically make you Red Tory bourgeois Blairite scum?
This book is one of the funniest I've read in a very long time, so much so that my other half kept asking me what I was chuckling at as I was reading it. O'Farrell's observations not only of major political events but also of the small-scale minutiae of political campaigning and activism are extremely witty and insightful. However, Things Can Only Get Worse? is a thoughtful and perceptive read too, and genuinely moving at times. O'Farrell clearly cares very deeply about particular issues and this really shines through.
John O'Farrell is a staunch Remainer whose Labour MP is Kate Hoey - you may remember her from such absolute shit-shows as the painfully embarrassing Thames Brexit flotilla, in which she cuddled up to Nigel Farage at the helm of a boat if they were about to stage some sort of fascist pound-shop remake of Titanic. This means that in the last general election, he was faced for the first time in his life with a genuine voting dilemma. Does he tear up his Labour Party membership card and end a political relationship almost akin to a long marriage? I'll leave you to find out for yourself - but you'll no doubt have seen the question mark at the end of the title. While this book deals with Labour's fall from power, its horribly divisive leadership battle and the twin catastrophes of Trump and Brexit it still has at its heart a satisfying glimmer of hope.
Things Can Only Get Worse? is published on 14 September and if you have any kind of interest in British politics and a sense of humour, I highly recommend you read it.
July 31, 2018
The thing about Labour supporters is that they aren't really supporting the same party they were 20 years ago. Everybody knows that and yet John O'Farrell makes it a completely fresh experience for the reader; by turns hilarious, heartfelt, euphoric, despondent and back again. As an activist he's seen the huge victories under Tony Blair, the Iraq war, the recovery of the Conservative party, Brexit, the Tories shooting themselves in the foot immediately after that...this is a terrific read for anyone with an interest either in politics or in good writing, or preferably both. I will certainly be reading more O'Farrell.
March 15, 2018
I’m quite partial to John O’Farrell’s gentle, self-deprecating humour and I share most of his political views but I tend to agree with some other reviewers that he is trotting out rather too many well worn jokes in this book. It’s certainly nowhere near as good as ‘Things can only Get Better ‘.
November 16, 2019
An intelligent and witty account of what it's been like being a Labour supporter since '97.
If you're a dyed in the wool Blairite or Corbynista you're probably not going to like some of it though.
It ends on a positive note with the 2017 election. I wonder if that would hold if he brought it up to date?
If you're a dyed in the wool Blairite or Corbynista you're probably not going to like some of it though.
It ends on a positive note with the 2017 election. I wonder if that would hold if he brought it up to date?
May 6, 2019
A hilarious book that is well worth a read, regardless of your political affiliations! It makes you wonder where it's all leading...
March 2, 2018
I was surprised I didn’t particularly like this book. As an old leftie increasingly bewildered with the modern world – and somebody who enjoyed John O’Farrell’s original comic account of political failure “Things can only get better” when it came out twenty years – I thought this ‘sequel’ would be right up my alley.
But, the big problem with “Things can only get worse” is that, for a humorous memoir, the jokes aren’t strong enough. The book often feels like O’Farrell has merely reheated then regurgitated many of his Guardian columns from the last 20 years. A lot of the gags are hackneyed and telegraphed from a mile away, and O’Farrell seems too willing to fall back on jibes about long-forgotten Tory Ministers from the ailing Major Government (there’s surely a very limited market for Michael Howard jokes in 2018).
In O’Farrell’s previous chronicles of life on the Left, much of the humour came from being a perennial underdog and the obscurantism of a British Labour party seemingly doomed to opposition for eternity. But, as “Things can only get worse” charts Labour’s 13 years in power, inevitably it is difficult for O’Farrell to maintain this outsiderdom. Indeed, “Things …” sees O’Farrell becoming part of the new establishment; dining with Tony and Cherie Blair at Chequers, running for parliament as a Labour Party candidate (including the hopeless task of taking on Theresa May in a rock solid safe Tory seat), and having the horribly unenviable job of writing jokes for Gordon Brown. And when you’re inside the establishment tent, it’s a lot more difficult to pass yourself off as an iconoclastic, take-no-prisoners satirist.
The more impressive parts of “Things can only get better” are where O’Farrell refrains from reaching for the easy gag, and instead tries to pinpoint how Labour went from the super majorities of Blair’s imperial years to it’s electoral and intellectual collapse in the 2010s. During the late 90s and 2000s, he spots some portents of the racism and xenophobia that would coalesce during the Brexit referendum and result in the wheelie bin fire that is British politics in 2018. O’Farrell even gives a reasonably astute analysis of why Gordon Brown was such a wretchedly useless Prime Minister (although he also gives Brown a free pass for the financial deregulation he passed while Chancellor, much of which is responsible for the UK’s current political and economic malaise).
Given the political catastrophes that “Things can only get worse” catalogues (from the invasion of Iraq to the financial crash and on to Brexit), the book ends on a surprisingly upbeat note. For an archetypal insider like John O’Farrell, it is particularly ironic that this relatively happy ending comes courtesy of Jeremy Corbyn and his unexpectedly strong showing at the 2017 UK General Election. Despite this cautiously optimistic denouement, O’Farrell seems genuinely baffled at the phenomenon of Corbynmania … but then again lots of us are still scratching our heads trying to explain that one.
But, the big problem with “Things can only get worse” is that, for a humorous memoir, the jokes aren’t strong enough. The book often feels like O’Farrell has merely reheated then regurgitated many of his Guardian columns from the last 20 years. A lot of the gags are hackneyed and telegraphed from a mile away, and O’Farrell seems too willing to fall back on jibes about long-forgotten Tory Ministers from the ailing Major Government (there’s surely a very limited market for Michael Howard jokes in 2018).
In O’Farrell’s previous chronicles of life on the Left, much of the humour came from being a perennial underdog and the obscurantism of a British Labour party seemingly doomed to opposition for eternity. But, as “Things can only get worse” charts Labour’s 13 years in power, inevitably it is difficult for O’Farrell to maintain this outsiderdom. Indeed, “Things …” sees O’Farrell becoming part of the new establishment; dining with Tony and Cherie Blair at Chequers, running for parliament as a Labour Party candidate (including the hopeless task of taking on Theresa May in a rock solid safe Tory seat), and having the horribly unenviable job of writing jokes for Gordon Brown. And when you’re inside the establishment tent, it’s a lot more difficult to pass yourself off as an iconoclastic, take-no-prisoners satirist.
The more impressive parts of “Things can only get better” are where O’Farrell refrains from reaching for the easy gag, and instead tries to pinpoint how Labour went from the super majorities of Blair’s imperial years to it’s electoral and intellectual collapse in the 2010s. During the late 90s and 2000s, he spots some portents of the racism and xenophobia that would coalesce during the Brexit referendum and result in the wheelie bin fire that is British politics in 2018. O’Farrell even gives a reasonably astute analysis of why Gordon Brown was such a wretchedly useless Prime Minister (although he also gives Brown a free pass for the financial deregulation he passed while Chancellor, much of which is responsible for the UK’s current political and economic malaise).
Given the political catastrophes that “Things can only get worse” catalogues (from the invasion of Iraq to the financial crash and on to Brexit), the book ends on a surprisingly upbeat note. For an archetypal insider like John O’Farrell, it is particularly ironic that this relatively happy ending comes courtesy of Jeremy Corbyn and his unexpectedly strong showing at the 2017 UK General Election. Despite this cautiously optimistic denouement, O’Farrell seems genuinely baffled at the phenomenon of Corbynmania … but then again lots of us are still scratching our heads trying to explain that one.
January 1, 2018
I have yet to read anything by anyone else that so perfectly encapsulates my political views of the world as John O’Farrell. In particular, reading the chapters on June and November 2016 were like punches to the stomach all over again. And I’m glad I wasn’t the only one to go from abject despair to shocked amazement in the June 2017 election.
I just wish I was as funny about it all as he is...
I just wish I was as funny about it all as he is...
September 3, 2017
Beautifully pitched between passion and realism. Politics and real life. His humour is wry and dry and often laugh out loud. I loved it!
September 25, 2017
The fact that it's hilariously funny almost masks the fact that it's incisive and thoughtful and a pretty spot-on analysis of the last 20 years. Almost.
February 19, 2024
John O'Farrell is at his absolute best with his political non-fiction memoirs. Balancing humour and incisive political analysis can only come from someone with half a career in political satire and half in political campaigning.
I read his first book "Things Can Only get Worse: 18 Miserable Years in the Life of a Labour supporter" a couple of years ago. At the time I'd been a Labour party member, and I'd spent my entire life since my political awakening under Tory rule. 11 long years, now 14. Reading John's memoir about growing up in the same constituency I did in Berkshire, and then moving to South London, all the while growing up and facing young adulthood against the backdrop of a decade calamitous Conservative rule as a young ideologue left wing Labour ideologue, its safe to say I empathised a lot with his plight. The woeful position Labour was in during those years was how I felt when i read the first book a couple of years ago.
Only a few years later, now as we wait on the cusp of Labour victory for the first time since I was 6, reading about his later years seems to align well with where we are now. Like myself, John is on the left of the party, and his grappling with a leader on the right of the party is how I have felt for some time. After 10 years and 6 days in the party, I left the party and decided to read this. He decided to go the other way, choosing pragmatism over idealism as he frames it, and defending New Labour policies he was uncomfortable with. A challenging read and an interesting perspective, softened by his ever-hilarious tone and anecdotes.
One thing that really struck me was his utter pessimism at Corbyn's election in 2015, fearing a Michael Foot-esque electoral doom repeat of 1983's 'Longest Suicide Note in History'. His tune changed in 2017 following the huge wave of optimism following the unexpectedly strong election result there. The book was published in 2017, ending on a highly optimistic note where he admits his foolishness for his pessimism of the Corbyn project. Its easy to forget how optimistic we were then, before the full effects of the media onslaught of Corbyn from 2017-2019 set in and really took effect. Needless to say, the years since have not seemed to reflect this optimistic tone, and once again, those on the left of the party like myself and John are forced to grapple with the perennial problem of our wing: seek governance with a weak unprincipled centrist or risk opposition with a radical programme that would help make people's lives better if ever it was implemented. This book may have started in 1997, but it feels like the cycle is about to restart in 2024. Whether things can only get better or worse is hard to know.
I read his first book "Things Can Only get Worse: 18 Miserable Years in the Life of a Labour supporter" a couple of years ago. At the time I'd been a Labour party member, and I'd spent my entire life since my political awakening under Tory rule. 11 long years, now 14. Reading John's memoir about growing up in the same constituency I did in Berkshire, and then moving to South London, all the while growing up and facing young adulthood against the backdrop of a decade calamitous Conservative rule as a young ideologue left wing Labour ideologue, its safe to say I empathised a lot with his plight. The woeful position Labour was in during those years was how I felt when i read the first book a couple of years ago.
Only a few years later, now as we wait on the cusp of Labour victory for the first time since I was 6, reading about his later years seems to align well with where we are now. Like myself, John is on the left of the party, and his grappling with a leader on the right of the party is how I have felt for some time. After 10 years and 6 days in the party, I left the party and decided to read this. He decided to go the other way, choosing pragmatism over idealism as he frames it, and defending New Labour policies he was uncomfortable with. A challenging read and an interesting perspective, softened by his ever-hilarious tone and anecdotes.
One thing that really struck me was his utter pessimism at Corbyn's election in 2015, fearing a Michael Foot-esque electoral doom repeat of 1983's 'Longest Suicide Note in History'. His tune changed in 2017 following the huge wave of optimism following the unexpectedly strong election result there. The book was published in 2017, ending on a highly optimistic note where he admits his foolishness for his pessimism of the Corbyn project. Its easy to forget how optimistic we were then, before the full effects of the media onslaught of Corbyn from 2017-2019 set in and really took effect. Needless to say, the years since have not seemed to reflect this optimistic tone, and once again, those on the left of the party like myself and John are forced to grapple with the perennial problem of our wing: seek governance with a weak unprincipled centrist or risk opposition with a radical programme that would help make people's lives better if ever it was implemented. This book may have started in 1997, but it feels like the cycle is about to restart in 2024. Whether things can only get better or worse is hard to know.
October 7, 2018
After finding one of his fiction efforts pretty poor, it was only the subject matter that drew me in to O'Farrell's account of his last 20 years as an active member of the Labour party. But I'm glad I bothered. In the most part I found myself in agreement with him and I found it much funnier than his football novel.
The focus of this was a mix of local politics and parliament, O'Farrell being a key part of a new school built in Lambeth, but also standing against Theresa May and a by-election in Eastleigh as a prospective MP. The parts about early Theresa May were interesting, if lacking revelation in describing May's lack of personality. To my surprise, he was conflicted over the drawing of boundaries - the level of compromise he was prepared to allow in order to get a project done was a frequent point of discussion. He was also frank in saying that charisma (Tony Blair klaxon) is important as well as stated policy, as he found out to his cost at the new school.
This made it interesting when Corbyn had some success at the 2017 General Election, as he had made it clear he did not support Corbyn, but to be fair he gave the Labour leader credit for his manifesto and subsequent vote share, and admitted it would not have been better if only they had a more pragmatic option. He also struck the right balance between serious business and light-heartedness, although his invented dialogues were disappointing, with his mini-sketches getting in the way for this reader. But despite being an active party member, he didn't spend much time playing to the crowd to get an easy laugh like so many comedians who try Political Humour.
The main effect it had was to evaluate my political views a bit. I find the virtue signalling culture of the internet tiresome and hypocritical, to the rather perverse extent that Donald Trump riling these people up is actually quite funny to me. But actually, the people in local government do stuff that actually matters, and I was much more sympathetic to them, enacting change for the better. Hopefully I'll dial down the cynicism a bit in future.
The focus of this was a mix of local politics and parliament, O'Farrell being a key part of a new school built in Lambeth, but also standing against Theresa May and a by-election in Eastleigh as a prospective MP. The parts about early Theresa May were interesting, if lacking revelation in describing May's lack of personality. To my surprise, he was conflicted over the drawing of boundaries - the level of compromise he was prepared to allow in order to get a project done was a frequent point of discussion. He was also frank in saying that charisma (Tony Blair klaxon) is important as well as stated policy, as he found out to his cost at the new school.
This made it interesting when Corbyn had some success at the 2017 General Election, as he had made it clear he did not support Corbyn, but to be fair he gave the Labour leader credit for his manifesto and subsequent vote share, and admitted it would not have been better if only they had a more pragmatic option. He also struck the right balance between serious business and light-heartedness, although his invented dialogues were disappointing, with his mini-sketches getting in the way for this reader. But despite being an active party member, he didn't spend much time playing to the crowd to get an easy laugh like so many comedians who try Political Humour.
The main effect it had was to evaluate my political views a bit. I find the virtue signalling culture of the internet tiresome and hypocritical, to the rather perverse extent that Donald Trump riling these people up is actually quite funny to me. But actually, the people in local government do stuff that actually matters, and I was much more sympathetic to them, enacting change for the better. Hopefully I'll dial down the cynicism a bit in future.
August 8, 2018
Essentially a collection of O’Farrell’s reflections on the trajectory of the British Labour Party’s fortunes over the period 1997–2017, the book contains just enough self-deprecation and humour to keep you engaged.
As you might expect, there are a few zingers along the way. I particularly liked his observation that, “One of the secrets of the right is that they are more comfortable with power; being in control comes to Tories as naturally as inconsiderate parking or talking too loudly in restaurants.”
The book is mainly about confronting the difference between the misty-eyed optimism of opposition, and the challenging truth of the compromise and political expediency seemingly demanded by governing.
The crushing, depressing reality hits home at the memory of the mockery poured upon the (what then seemed) hopelessly out of touch Tory leader William Hague talking of “the liberal elite” creating a “foreign land” during the 2001 general election. Fast forward to 2016 and the Brexit referendum, and, well, things look a little bit different.
Despite this, I enjoyed it!
As you might expect, there are a few zingers along the way. I particularly liked his observation that, “One of the secrets of the right is that they are more comfortable with power; being in control comes to Tories as naturally as inconsiderate parking or talking too loudly in restaurants.”
The book is mainly about confronting the difference between the misty-eyed optimism of opposition, and the challenging truth of the compromise and political expediency seemingly demanded by governing.
The crushing, depressing reality hits home at the memory of the mockery poured upon the (what then seemed) hopelessly out of touch Tory leader William Hague talking of “the liberal elite” creating a “foreign land” during the 2001 general election. Fast forward to 2016 and the Brexit referendum, and, well, things look a little bit different.
Despite this, I enjoyed it!
March 26, 2018
Like many other reviewers, I had greatly enjoyed John O'Farrell's first political memoir, Things Can Only Get Better, published, I was amazed to discover, eighteen years ago! Things Can Only Get Worse? is a sort of sequel, charting the years of the Blair and Brown governments and the tumultuous events since 2010. Full of warmth, wit and self-deprecation, it is an entertaining and thought-provoking read, the story unfolding through a series of elections, ranging from the EU referendum to school governor votes. Moving back and forth between the national (and sometimes international) and local political scenes, O'Farrell's book is more than just a comic account of political life; it is also a sensitive portrayal of the realities of politics - the need for compromise, hard work and civility in order to get things done that can make a positive impact on the lives of millions of people.
December 19, 2018
I read this very quickly. John O'Farrell is a funny man. He was a writer on the UK's Spitting Image, one of my all-time Brit favourite satirical programmes; please bring it back! I spent years splitting-sidingly laughing, and crying through laughter at times when it aired.
This book sets out a bleak journey of British politics over the last twenty years from the perspective of an ardent but at times not so ardent Labour activist, but does end on a positive note. I read mainly on my commute to and from work, frequently smiling and occasionally giggling to myself at his humour. A gallows laugh at times. Great. Loved it. I especially liked his view on people who say: 'politicians; they're all the same so I don't vote'; I can veer towards that. Politicians are not all the same. And a not-vote attitude is just a cop out, a dangerous one at that.
This book sets out a bleak journey of British politics over the last twenty years from the perspective of an ardent but at times not so ardent Labour activist, but does end on a positive note. I read mainly on my commute to and from work, frequently smiling and occasionally giggling to myself at his humour. A gallows laugh at times. Great. Loved it. I especially liked his view on people who say: 'politicians; they're all the same so I don't vote'; I can veer towards that. Politicians are not all the same. And a not-vote attitude is just a cop out, a dangerous one at that.
January 25, 2020
An interesting take on the growing disillusion with the Tony Blair years that makes sense to me. The entertainment factor that he stood against such key people with such little awareness at the time of the impact they may have was lovely. A good reminder that anyone can do a little bit. As I got engaged in politics in about 2010 (to campaign for someone rather than against BNP in the European elections... look how that turned out :-( ) I'm always intrigued to understand a bit more about the people who can't believe I was 40 not 14 when I got engaged and this gives a great insight.
health warning the book finishes with the hope of the post 2017 election, so if you are reading it for a pick me up because the 13th of December 2019 had you despairing make sure you have a feelgood treat lined up to follow it
health warning the book finishes with the hope of the post 2017 election, so if you are reading it for a pick me up because the 13th of December 2019 had you despairing make sure you have a feelgood treat lined up to follow it
June 11, 2021
Great follow on from O'Farrell's first memoirs Things Can Only Get Better. This book picks up where the last one left off; taking us through the 1997 Tory Leadership 'Contest', the Iraq War, Gordon Brown's failed premiership, the coalition, Brexit, Corbyn and much more.
The book is dominated by major events and O'Farrell's reaction to the political world seemingly being turned upside down between 2014-2017, however O'Farrell tells the story of how he managed to campaign for a local secondary school in Lambeth and eventually ends up becoming Head Governor. This is an interesting tale which runs in parts through about half of the book.
O'Farrell is better connected in his stage of his life so the book, arguably, makes for more interesting reading than the view from the foothills he offered in his first memoirs.
The book is dominated by major events and O'Farrell's reaction to the political world seemingly being turned upside down between 2014-2017, however O'Farrell tells the story of how he managed to campaign for a local secondary school in Lambeth and eventually ends up becoming Head Governor. This is an interesting tale which runs in parts through about half of the book.
O'Farrell is better connected in his stage of his life so the book, arguably, makes for more interesting reading than the view from the foothills he offered in his first memoirs.
October 15, 2017
Maybe it's because I don't share his politics. Maybe too much time is diverted away from the actual central topic of the Labour Party to Tory opposition leadership (he is much happier criticising the enemy than coping with the realities and compromises of power), to the frankly underwhelming sections on setting up a school to even comments on the international stage.the first book had charm and lots of amusingly naive moments - now with actual power he - like so many others - can't cope with Blair not acting like the socialist he never was. Far more comfortable now - with the dubious talents and totems of Corbyn - he would be far happier inflicting that on all of us. Which would at least remove the need for the question mark on the title - as things would get s lot worse
May 13, 2018
Enjoyable political novel telling the history of the British political system through the eyes of a Labour supporter. Some true laugh out loud moments and some eerily similarities to what’s happening in NZ’s political world. It seems the manifesto the UK Labour Party was almost directly stolen by the NZ one as an example.
Being on the other side of the fence politically, it was interesting to read the same passion for the left that I have for the right, but unlike the many crazies on Facebook who put up incendiary posts with no arguments, the writer did have arguments and reason and I respected that and enjoyed this novel more than I thought I might.
If you’re remotely interested in politics, a good one to give a go. Recommend
Being on the other side of the fence politically, it was interesting to read the same passion for the left that I have for the right, but unlike the many crazies on Facebook who put up incendiary posts with no arguments, the writer did have arguments and reason and I respected that and enjoyed this novel more than I thought I might.
If you’re remotely interested in politics, a good one to give a go. Recommend
November 15, 2020
An account of the trials and tribulations of being a Labour supporter throughout the years Tony Blair became ever less popular through to the Tory/DUP coalition (of chaos...) and Jeremy Corbyn being the leader of the opposition. I didn't agree with his thoughts on Corbyn and why he's popular but I figured, well, he's been wrong about so much else politically, that's just another thing to realise in hindsight, ey. (He already seemed to be seeing it by the 2017 election night anyway, funnily enough...). A reminder of what the Labour Party actually achieved, which too often gets lost in amongst the negative. It also emphasises the genuinely caring, compassionate reasons behind left-wing politics. Most of all, it's very bloody funny.
August 25, 2020
Hubris before the fall
Smug, superior and incapable of spotting disaster looming, John O'Farrell captures the spirit of pleasant but deeply bigoted middle class Labour supporters. Stuck in the delights of failure, he is unaware that most people do not share his tribal view that most voters are stupid and worthy of contempt. John is simply a massive snob who treats the Labour Party as a hobby and will always defend the faults that lumber us with Boris. Above all he needs to find some new jokes
Smug, superior and incapable of spotting disaster looming, John O'Farrell captures the spirit of pleasant but deeply bigoted middle class Labour supporters. Stuck in the delights of failure, he is unaware that most people do not share his tribal view that most voters are stupid and worthy of contempt. John is simply a massive snob who treats the Labour Party as a hobby and will always defend the faults that lumber us with Boris. Above all he needs to find some new jokes
January 6, 2018
Funny and perceptive
Twenty years of shared experience, doubts, uncertainties, disappointments, all recounted with wit. I feel most of us on the left will recognise the dilemmas whether we agree with the author or not. Above all it made me laugh.
Twenty years of shared experience, doubts, uncertainties, disappointments, all recounted with wit. I feel most of us on the left will recognise the dilemmas whether we agree with the author or not. Above all it made me laugh.
October 16, 2018
Brilliant!
I love John O'Farrell's work. So we'll written and some laugh out loud lines. I don't necessarily agree with him on all of his opinions, but I might in another book or two!
I love John O'Farrell's work. So we'll written and some laugh out loud lines. I don't necessarily agree with him on all of his opinions, but I might in another book or two!
November 11, 2019
Singing from the same hymnbook
Yes I enjoyed reading this as the author feels like a friend with pretty much the same views on everything as me but this wasn't really as good as Things can only get better
Yes I enjoyed reading this as the author feels like a friend with pretty much the same views on everything as me but this wasn't really as good as Things can only get better
December 26, 2019
The book lacks complexity, which makes it an absolutely fantastic place to begin for someone new to political reading. It’s simple, funny, and charismatic, but also offers genuine insight into the workings of politics and sent me down a wild rabbit-hole of absolute nonsense.
July 21, 2020
A very witty and entertaining follow up to his other novel about Labour being a bit rubbish. Having lived through both experiences, I empathised with lots of John’s feelings particularly around the hell of Brexit and Trump. Great anecdote at the end too.
December 6, 2020
People either are going to like or hate this. I thought he was a funny writer and expected this to be comedy through and through. It’s not, and it chimed almost totally with how I feel about the sorry mess we are in and why. A great read.
June 13, 2021
I like John O'Farrell and his writing. Unfortunately this one didn't gel with me particularly well. Maybe it's because I've never had any inclination to stand for Parliament or set up a new school. I don't disagree with some of the points made in the book but the overall tone didn't work for me
November 12, 2023
Amusing and sad at the same time, this book takes a look at the state of politics and politicians (mainly British with a tiny bit of American) over twenty years. Can't imagine how I missed it when it was first published, but it's still a good read a few years on.
March 14, 2024
I read this bec I reading really enjoyed Thing's Can Only Get Better many years ago. I didn't enjoy it as much, but it opened my eyes wider to politics,and fuelled further my despair with the Labour Party.An interesting read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2017
Very good follow up. But he's still not convinced me to get involved in politics. I'm still an interested bystander and stupidly Labour -despite everything.
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